Greek team's TB test wins first place in MIT synthetic biology competition

An interdisciplinary team of the University of Thessaly won the top prize in the international iGEM Synthetic Biology competition organised by MIT university in Boston.

The team of ten students and alumni of the university presented its research project titled Odysee, which is an in-field test for diagnosing Tuberculosis (TB), aimed at being applied in refugee camps in Greece as well as worldwide.
"Refugees and migrants are in a very vulnerable position, deprived of their fundamental human rights, including access to healthcare. Tuberculosis is a leading health threat for populations affected by crises who lack access to innovative diagnostic tools," the team says on its website. 

The International Genetically Engineered Machine (IGEM) is an international Synthetic Biology competition, the idea of which emerged from the workshop, organized in MIT, by Tom Knight...